Chapter 16 - The Interrogation of Vanessa
Vanessa’s eyes flared with terror at the word *indictment*. "Espionage?! Are you out of your mind?! I didn't commit espionage! I’m an influencer! I have fifty thousand followers on TikTok! I don't know anything about computers!"
"Ignorance of the law is not an affirmative defense, Miss Mercer," an icy voice interrupted from the lobby entrance.
Two plainclothes FBI special agents walked through the revolving doors, displaying their gold badges to the building security before approaching the bench. Behind them followed two uniformed NYPD officers carrying evidence bags.
"Vanessa Mercer? Eleanor Mercer?" the lead agent, a woman named Agent Ramos, asked.
"Yes! Yes, that's us!" Vanessa said eagerly, stepping forward. "Officer, thank God you're here. Arrest these people! Arrest Julian! He’s running an illegal operation, and he assaulted us by keeping us hostage in this lobby!"
Agent Ramos didn't even look at Julian. She looked directly at Vanessa. "Vanessa Mercer, you are under arrest for conspiracy to violate the Economic Espionage Act, unauthorized access to a protected federal infrastructure network, and accessory to wire fraud."
Before Vanessa could process the words, the uniformed officer stepped behind her, caught her wrists, and snapped a pair of heavy steel handcuffs around them.
The metallic *click-clack* of the ratchet echoed loudly in the quiet atrium.
"Wait! No! What are you doing?!" Vanessa shrieked, twisting her shoulders violently. "Mom! Tell them! Julian, stop them! You can't let them arrest me! I’m your sister!"
"You aren't my sister," Julian said, his voice flat, devoid of warmth or remorse. "You stopped being my sister the day you decided my success was an insult to your mediocrity. You spent years convincing Mom that I was nothing more than an unpaid utility bill to fund your lifestyle. When I earned my way to the top through eighty-hour work weeks and sleepless nights, you couldn't stand the sight of it. You tore up my offer because you thought keeping me down was the only way you could stay relevant."
"Julian, please!" Eleanor wailed, falling to her knees on the marble floor, clawing at Julian’s slacks. "She's your flesh and blood! If she goes to prison, her life is over! What will people say?! What will the neighbors think?!"
Julian stepped back, allowing Eleanor’s hands to slip away into empty air.
"You never cared about what the neighbors thought when Vanessa was stealing my college savings to buy designer clothes, Mom," Julian said softly. "You only care now because the bill has finally arrived. And this time, I’m not paying it."
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Agent Ramos signaled the officers. "Escort them to the cruisers outside."
As Vanessa was dragged across the lobby, screaming profanities and sobbing uncontrollably, her designer heels dragging against the floor, Julian didn't flinch. He watched her disappear through the glass doors into the rainy night, the flashing blue lights illuminating the wet asphalt outside.
